According to professionals associated in the sports business, many professional athletes were caught doping in their respective sports throughout the past year.  Many athletes pursue doping to give them an unfair advantage or help speed up their recovery process from a heartbreaking injury.  Although doping is not yet legal in any professional sports, athletes still think they can get away with it.  It appears as if only certain sports have their athletes pursuing drugs.  Those sports include the MLB, NHL, NFL, and Professional Soccer.  The most common drugs used in sports today are hGH which stands for Human-Growth Hormone, EPO which stands for Erythropoietin, Anabolic Steroids, and Cortisone Shots which are used to heal injuries  Although some cases of using drugs are bizarre, such as using it to heal from a lightning strike, but it still counts as cheating.  Using drugs in sports can come with a variety of ways to do it.  Nonetheless, Doping should not be allowed in any professional sport because PED’s pose many dangers to athletes and their lives, the message that young athletes would take from seeing their role models using drugs, and nobody wants to see sports turn into an industry where the team with the best sports science department wins.
Many people do not realize how many professional athletes have taken drugs and been caught doing so.  For example, baseball player such as Ryan Braun, Alex Rodriguez, and Manny Ramirez were all suspended for drug use.  NFL players such as Dwayne Bowe, Calvin Pace, and Julius Peppers were suspended once they got caught cheating with drugs.  The first reason why doping should not be allowed in professional sports is because they can pose serious health threats to athletes and their lives.  According to the research, an article states, “... we would be encouraging athletes to take these drugs and put their own personal lives in health in danger” (Nolan 1).  This research shows how if drugs were legal, teams would want their players to be taking so they could win more.  Many people believe that using drugs can only help you, but it can also have negatives to it.  Some examples of bad things that can happen from using drugs in sports are a suspension that can come from the organization or developing side effects.  Another reason that proves the fact that drugs can pose dangers to athletes using them.  Stephen Nolan, the author of  “Is It Time to Allow Drugs in Sports?” says, “Professional athletes push themselves to the limit in order to be the best they can be” (Nolan 1).  The importance of this quote is to show that athletes push themselves too far, their careers could be ruined forever.  Nobody wants to see an athlete's career end due to overusing drugs and taking it too far.  An example of an athlete ruining his career from drug use is Alex Rodriguez of the New York Yankees.  Alex was a star player for the Yankees before Major League Baseball suspended him for the entire 2014 season.  Now he is back this season and most likely lost his starting spot due to the suspension that kept him out of the lineup.  Those who disagree believe that drugs do not pose life-threatening risks, they can only help recover from injuries (“If All PED’s Were Legal, It Wouldn’t Be Cheating--Would It?”).  One example of a drug that can heal injuries is a Cortisone Shot.  Yet this claim fails to mention the fact that drugs can also give players a distinct, unfair advantage.   This shows how athletes can ruin their careers by making one mistake...using drugs.
Another reason why doping should not be allowed in sports is because of the message that athletes would be sending to children.  Most children consider athletes as their role model and to see athletes cheat, might leave them shock because they were not expecting that.  A role model is a person whose behavior, example, or success is or can be emulated by others, especially by younger people.  Some kids do not have impactful people in their lives, so they may look to follow in athletes footsteps.  For kids to see their role model cheating by using drugs can leave them in heartbreak.  According to Stephen Nolan, an author for the Manitou Messenger poses a question about pushing for a “win-at-all-costs” mindset in budding athletes (Nolan 1).  This shows how if young athletes see their role models taking PED’s just to win, the children may consider cheating just for their team to win.  Is this really what we want youth sports turn into?  That’s an easy no.  Many children would like the best competition and to have everyone playing fair.  In order to avoid children cheating, athletes need to stop using any illegal substances just to earn a win.  For example, “When drugs and blood transfusions provide a 5 or 10 percent advantage, athletes who refuse to dope when others do are making a choice.  It’s an honorable choice, but it diminishes their hope of winning or simply staying on a team” (Murray 1).  This quote shows that if teams are encouraging their players to take drugs just for an advantage, the ones who don’t may lose their roster spot.  This is definitely the wrong way to run things and may leave young athletes wondering.  The author poses another question for the reader that involves the age limit for teen athletes using drugs(Nolan 1).  The question can leave many people thinking, but the line should be drawn at 21 years old” (Nolan 1).  Children or young athletes should not be allowed to take steroids and ultimately if the do, the consequences should be worse for taking them underaged.  If professional sports does not do something about this quick, the risk to society is going to be immense.
The final reason for why doping should not be allowed in professional sports is because sports should not be fought out in labs.  Some teams may have employees that are really good at making drugs as other teams may have employees that are not very good at making drugs.  As stated in “Is It TIme to Allow Drugs in Sports?” by Stephen Nolan, “It would be a shame to see sports turned into an industry where the team with the best Sports Science Department was the most successful” (Nolan 1).  In other words, no true sports fan wants to see their favorite team, which is normally a powerhouse, fall to the bottom due to lack of knowledge on drugs (Nolan1).  Teams should be based on players who want to play the game, not play the game while cheating.  The commissioners in professional sports do not want drugs to be fought out in labs to see who can make the most productive one.  They want sports to be competitive and everyone playing on an even playing field.  Also, if drugs are allowed in professional sports, a competitiveness issue may be brought to the table by players, coaches, or even owners.  The fact is if drugs become legal, then some players may gain a competitive advantage over others, which would lead to them not trying.  Stephen Nolan states, “I believe that allowing drugs in sports would take away an essence of competition that would be lost forever.”  After carefully examining this quote, I think it means that if drugs are allowed then sports would not be competitive and even after lots of trying, you would still be unable to gain the competitiveness level that sports once had back.  To sum it all up, nobody wants to see sports continuously being fought out in labs for the best product.
Regardless of what the Commissioners in professional sports decide to do, most people know that the right decision is to ban PED’s forever.  Without drugs in sports there will be an even playing field, athletes will not have to deal with the serious health threats that drugs can pose, and no teams will have to deal with the disadvantages of drug making.  Players who have a distinct advantage may lead to others feeling left out and want to join the drug part.  That is not the right way to go.  The right way to go is to avoid drug use.  Drugs can ruin your career!  If drugs become legal what will happen to the competitiveness in sports?  Will players who chose to make the right decision by not using drugs stop trying because they know they will be at a distinct disadvantage?  How will the the fan bases who cheer their teams on night in and night out react when they find out players are cheering.  If we do not stop the oncoming use of drugs soon, professional sports and fan support could be ruined forever by just making one mistake.